Lock for strong boxes and the like



Dec. 14 1926.

- Y I. MARMUN LOCK FOR STRONG BOXES AND THE LIKE Filed August 26.. 1925 IN V EN TOR.

A TTORNEY Jamaal MUN Patented Dec. 14, 1926.

UNETEQ STe't iTES I IGHACY MABM'UN, 0F CLEVELAED, OHECU.

LOOK FOR STRONG BOXES AND THE LIKE.

Application filed August 26, 1825. Serial No. 52,554.

This invention relates to improvements in strong boxes for the keeping of money, documents and valuable papers or articles of all kinds, and, it is the principal object of the invention to provide a box which is of simple and inexpensive construction, yet durable and equipped with a lock which can be opened only by persons acquainted with its peculiar construction and working.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a box equipped with a lock, the latch of which is adapted to receive a step by step motion for a predetermined number of steps controlled by the number of teeth on the latch in order to allow a withdrawal of the latch to open the lock and which is equipped with means for automatically throwing the latch into its locking position.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent as the description thereof proceeds, and will then be specifically defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a strong box constructed according to the'presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view in side elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is an edge view of the lock for the strong box.

Fig. 4: is a top plan view of the lock.

The box 10 hasa cover 11 hinged thereto, as at 12, and a key-hole escutcheon 13 surrounding the key-hole 1d. The cover is somewhat shorter than the box and engages with its frontedge th upstanding flange 15 of the box.

In the front wall of the box a keeper 16 for the latch 17 is provided, and the lock is mounted on a plate 18 adapted to be secured to the inner face of the cover 11.

The latch 17 has an inner, somewhat wider part 19 slidably guided in a suitable guide 20, and has its upper edge toothed, as at 21, and its lower edge equipped with a plu rality of rounded teeth 22.

A locking member 23 for the latch is pivotally secured intermediate its ends, as at 24,

to the plate 18, and has a front tooth 25.

adapted to engage teeth 21. The opposite end of the locking member is formed into an upwardly curved tail piece 26 adapted to be engaged by the rounded recess .27 of a member 28 pivoted intermediate its ends, as

at 29, and having a rounded recess 30 near its rear end adapted to be engaged by one] corner 31 of the slanting rear edge of the latch 19..

A spring attached at one end, as at 33, to plate .18, engages with its opposite end the member 23, and tends to normally press the same into engagement with the latch.

A strong spiral spring 3 is attached at one end to the latch 19, as at 35, while its oppositeend is attached to the flange 15 of the box, as at 36, the, spring tends to normally hold the latter in engagement with the keeper. An auxiliary locking member 37 is pivoted, as at 38, to the plate 13 and has an upper rear shoulder 39 formed there with adapted to engage a shoulder' iO formed in the lower edge of the latch, while a leaf spring 11 secured in the flange 15 at one end, engages with its opposite end the lower edge of auxiliary member 37 to keep its shoulder 39 in engagement with member 40. A pin 42 adapted to be engaged by the bore of a key l3 projects from plate 18, and a guard lug 13 is mounted on the plate 18 in rear of pin 412 and has a curved front wall 43*.

Pins 14; project from the plate 18 in rear of member 28 to limit the rearward motions thereof.

The lockoperates as follows:

Assuming the lock is locked with the keeper engaged by the end of the latch. In this position, the tooth of the locking member 23 will engage the gap formed by the body of the latch and the first tooth thereof and spring 32 will keep the parts in this position. If now the key is inserted and turned on pin 42, its bit will engage locking member 37 and lift the same to disengage shoulder 39 thereof from shoulder of the latch and the bit, engaging the rounded teeth 22 will lift locking member 23 out of engagement with the latch tooth and slide the latch backward for one step while a continued rotation. of the key will disengage the bit thereof from the rounded tooth and allow a falling of the locking member 23 intoengagen'ient with the next toot-h of the latch, and so forth until the latch will engage with its edge 31 the recess 30 of member 28 which will lift tooth 25 of locking member 23 above the latch. The relation betweenthe key bit and the last rounded tooth 22 is such that as the key turns, the latch 19 will be pushed inwards so that edge 31 is substan tially further in than the recess 30, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4-. In this condition the hook is at a fair distance above the top of the latch. But as the key keeps turning it soon reaches the stage where it is released from the rounded tooth 22. Immediately, spring 3astarts the latch traveling outwards, and as edge 31 leaves recess 30,

the hook 25 starts traveling downwards. But spring 34: is much stronger than spring 232, and besides spring 3st being the first to start acting has the advantage of inertia, the result is that the latch 19 reaches the completely projected position, before the hook 25 has reached the top of the latchto restrain it.

It will be understood, that while I have shown and described the preferred form of the invention as an example, such changes may be made in its construction as fall within the scope of the appended claims Without departure from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, What I claim as new and desire to secure by Lett rs Patent is:

1. A look for strong boxes, comprising a plate, a latch slid-ably guided on said plate, a plurality of teeth formed at the upper edge of said latch, a plurality of rounded teeth formed in the lower edge of said latch, a shoulder formed with said lower edge, an auxiliary locking member pivoted on said plate and having a shoulder adapted to normally engage the shoulder in said latch,

means for normall lockin said latch in any of its positions engaging the upper teeth thereof, and key-operated means for imparting to said latch a step by step resteo bv step retractin movement and to i L t: 9

automatically go back into its locking posi tion upon the removal of said key.

3. In a lock of the class described, the combination of a movable latch having up per teeth and lower rounded teeth formed therewith, with a spring controlled locking member having a front tooth adaptedto successively engage the upper teeth of said latch, lifting member engaged with the rear end of said lockin member to lift the same from engagement with one tooth of the latch into engagement with the following upper tooth upon the retraction of said latch by a key engaging the rounded teeth, an auxiliary locking member adapted to be lifted by the bit of the key to permit the operation of the latch, and a shoulder on said latch adapted to engage said lifting member wnen the latch is fully retracted from its keeper and the key is removed for shooting the latch home under the action of a spring attached to said latch and the box.

In testimony whereof I have afiixed my signature.

IGNACY MARMUN. 

